Lobbyists say Mitt Romney met with tribal leaders last week

Two lobbyists told Indian Country Today that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met with tribal leaders last week.

Details were scarce but the meeting apparently took place August 17 in Boston, Massachusetts, the Romney campaign headquarters. Twelve unidentified tribal leaders reportedly attended.

Romney hasn't made any mention of Indian issues. “I am not sure what the campaign’s plans are for visiting any geographic area of the country, or for releasing any policy statements. That will probably be dictated by how the fall campaign unfolds," John Tahsuda, a member of the Kiowa Tribe, told ICT.

Tahsuda was one of two lobbyists who told ICT that the meeting took place.

Massachusetts is home to two federally recognized tribes and several state recognized tribes.
When he was governor, Romney offered to block a tribal casino as long as tribes in neighboring
Connecticut shared their gaming revenues, according to Governing Magazine.

Rep. Paul Ryan
(R-Wisconsin), Romney's running mate, voted against all major Indian bills during the 112th and 112th sessions of Congress. His district in Wisconsin does not include any reservations but it's home to a
racetrack that the Menominee
Nation wants to turn into a casino.